


I'm Still Here

by electroniccollectiondonut



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Blind Character, Disability, Fix-It, Gen, Nonbinary Character, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electroniccollectiondonut/pseuds/electroniccollectiondonut
Summary: Eregion is burning. Celebrimbor cannot allow this, so they travel back in time. They find themself in the early Second Age, too late to save their family, but more than early enough to make a difference. And make a difference they will, no matter how much it costs them.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	I'm Still Here

**Author's Note:**

> I have tons of thoughts about elves and gender but it pretty much boils down to nonbinary Celebrimbor bc I said so :)

Celebrimbor stands at the open window, hands braced on the sill to stop their trembling. Below them, the streets of Ost-in-Edhil are awash with orange fire. Above them, the sky is grey with smoke. The roar of flame is loud, and louder still when support beams fail and entire buildings come collapsing down, but not loud enough to drown out the sound of screaming.

They can’t be sure if it’s soldiers screaming or civilians. Maybe both. Probably both, and that’s the worst part. All of their people are out there fighting a battle they have no hope of winning, but they’re up here, watching their city fall.

They’ve done what they can, they remind themself. They sent off the elven rings to Gil-Galad and Cirdan and Galadriel, and they’ve been trying since they found out the truth of Sauron’s deception to find a way to save themself and their people.

Their armies have held off Sauron’s for days. It’s so much more than they expected, but it’s not enough. It will never be enough, not in a million years, but they’ve run out of time. They can feel the flames growing ever closer, heat licking at their face as the wall of the citadel falls and the roofs of the levels below them catch. They can hear footsteps in the hall, coming ever closer to their office. The gait is familiar, for all that its owner wears a different name now.

Celebrimbor squares their shoulders and holds their head high as the door swings open. If they’re going to die, it’s going to be on their feet, with dignity.

“Annatar,” they say, without turning around. They don't need to, because they  _ know  _ Annatar, even if he’s actually Sauron.

“Tyelpe,” Sauron says.

Celebrimbor can hear him crossing the room, can feel his hands come up to rest on their waist. He leans in close, resting his chin on their shoulder. He’s still wearing Annatar’s face, all soft angles and pale eyes and hair. It feels wrong.

When Celebrimbor doesn’t acknowledge him, Sauron sighs and pulls back a little, but his hands stay where they are.

“It’s over, Tyelpe. Just surrender to me, and I’ll let you live. I don’t want to kill you.”

“You’ll let me live,” Celebrimbor says. “Will you let me go free?”

Sauron is silent for a moment. “It’s  _ over _ ,” he reiterates.

Celebrimbor shakes their head. “It’s not over. Do you know why?”

Sauron humors them. “Why?”

Celebrimbor turns their head, meeting familiar ice blue eyes. “Because I’m Curufinwe Telperinquar of the House of Finwe, and we don’t know when to stop.”

They turn around fully, a knife in hand and a Song on their lips. A Maia’s blood can give even the weakest Songs of Power substance.

Sauron’s expression turns startled when the blade pierces his belly, and even though they know Annatar was a deception, Celebrimbor feels a trickle of remorse.  _ I loved you, _ they think, but they don’t stop singing. They don't dare, because this has to work.

They can feel their strength waning. They choose to take that as a good sign, because the big spells always take a lot out of the caster. If they’re getting tired, it means their desperate ploy is actually working. Their vision begins to fade and they think,  _ at least I won’t have to see my city burn. At least I won’t have to see Sauron wearing Annatar’s face. _

The last thing they see, before their vision goes dark entirely, is a forest clearing near Lindon, one where they spent many days sneaking away from court with Elrond and Gil-galad before they moved to Ost-in-Edhil.  _ Ah. It worked. _


End file.
